As the trees are turning colors and the leaves are beginning to fall lets consider two important tips to help prepare our trees for it all.
Water & Mulch!
Well the heavy rains that have come through Central Texas these past few days have obviously been a relief to us, our yards, our land, and especially our trees. Saying that, the total effects of severe environmental stress may not be seen for years. Best management practices that focus on preservation under extreme conditions is important.
Water Wisely. Begin by understanding basic water requirements for the trees. For example, in dry periods water once a week, in fall once every 2 weeks and once a month in winter. And consider increasing the frequency, especially if no significant rain has fallen.
Next, it’s important to identify the last time water ( through nature or man ) was applied to the trees keep from overwatering and saturating a root zone.
Use a screwdriver to measure moisture depth. Push the screwdriver 4-6 inches below the surface at the drip line of the tree. If you feel strong resistance it’s safe to say the tree needs water. If no resistance and the screwdriver goes to a depth of 4-6 inches than wait a few days and repeat the process.
At a minimum, trees should be watered at the dripline. Trees generally need 5-10 gals water per inch of trunk diameter.
Use the lower end for healthy trees, the higher end for stressed trees. Water slowly and deeply to ensure that water percolates well below the soil surface to the tree roots.
Mulch effectively, besides proper watering, the best thing you can do for your trees is to apply mulch over their root systems. Apply mulch as needed to maintain 2-4 inches deep. Keep mulch 4-6 inches from trunk taper ( base of tree ). Expand mulch out to the drip line as reasonably possible.
So just a couple of tips to help you help your trees this Fall and Happy Thanksgiving To All.
Nice tips all! though we all know the importance of watering and mulching the trees in regular intervals, but when to do that, for this you have mentioned a very commonsense test to gauge the moisture in the soil. I am sure all those who love their trees would make the most of these suggestions.
Thanks for the tips. Fall is just around the corner, so I’m definitely prepping my trees for the season. As for the trees in my yard that are still alive, I’m doing to make sure I mulch effectively, like you suggested. As for the rest, I’m not sure what to do. A few of them are already dead it looks like, so it may be time to have them pulled. I guess I’ll contact a tree removal service. Link removed by editor.
Would you recommend re-applying mulch yearly then? I know I mulched a lot when I first planted my trees, but I haven’t maintained that since. They seem to be healthy, but I’m not an expert when it comes to trees. I guess extra mulching can’t hurt, even if it’s not necessary. Link removed by editor.
These are some great tips, and I appreciate your advice to mulch over the root systems of your trees in the fall. My husband and I just moved into our first house, so we’ve never had to care for trees before, but we want to make sure ours stay healthy. We’ll definitely make sure to mulch around the roots this fall like you recommend. Thanks for the great post!
Excellent article!! Thanks for sharing Tree Tips For Fall. I am preparing my yard trees for a fall.